Gold
by snitcheyes411
Summary: A companion to my other fic Gem. Thief king Bakura rescues slave Ryou, and Ryou finds himself the newest member of "Bakura's Miniature Harem." A/N: I seem to have a thing for harems and concubines, huh? Don't own, don't sue.
1. Zombie

**Chapter 1 (Cranberries - Zombie)**

Ryou looked sorrowfully at the spot where his master's horse had once stood. The gentle black gelding had been securely fastened, he was sure. That left only one option: the horse had been stolen.

Ryou winced. 'How am I going to explain this?' he thought. 'I'm in so much trouble…'

Ryou turned and began the walk from his master's stableyard to the main house. He had been serving his master ever since he could remember, and yet he still couldn't keep from getting into trouble. If it wasn't the other servants tripping him and hiding his clothes, it was something like this.

'No one else around here could have stolen Jibade, where would they hide him?' Ryou thought as he neared the house. 'And master's been so tense lately; oh, I am in SO much trouble.'

Ryou was trembling as he made his way to his master's room. His master was a very wealthy merchant on the upper Nile valley. Word had reached the town two weeks ago that a large band of thieves had chosen to rest in the desert surrounding the west bank of the Nile. Ever since then his master's belongings had been disappearing. His master was growing more and more nervous about the situation and he had been taking that nervousness out on his own personal errand-boy: Ryou.

A rumor was flying around the town that the thieves were planning a full-scale attack on the master's property. Ryou's shoulder had been dislocated when word had reached his master.

Ryou hung his head and knocked on his master's door.

"Enter….Is my horse ready?" a solemn voice said.

Ryou bowed low and touched his forehead to the floor. "No master."

"Then why are you here, slave! Did I not tell you to ready my horse?"

"The horse- "Ryou choked and tried again. "The horse has been stolen, master."

"WHAT!!"

Ryou winced again as his master stood and began pacing the room, muttering to himself. "The rumors are true then……picking me apart…….any day now…..aaaarrrrrrrgggGGGGHHHHHHH!"

The master abruptly turned on Ryou, hitting him hard and knocking him to the ground. "And you're just going to stand by and let them take what is mine, are you! If they take me you'll be on the streets!" He was unwinding a whip hung at his belt. "Ungrateful son of an ass!"

The whip whistled through the air.

***

Ryou curled up in the stables, hours later. After the whipping his master had insisted that he walk the edge of the property, looking for any signs of the horse or the thieves. Ryou had walked until the sun had set on the desert, and then he had returned to the stables.

'Well, it could have been worse,' Ryou thought dejectedly, 'he could have ordered me to go to the thieves' camp.' He shuddered at the image. 'If my master is this, then imagine how cruel a master to thieves must be.'

Ryou stretched out on the ground, wincing as pebbles scratched against his sore back. 'My master has a whip on his belt at all times, to "ensure the loyalty of his slaves." What kind of weapon do you need to keep thieves in line?' Even though Ryou had to endure his master's cruelty, he was much more afraid of being thrown to the thieves on the streets.

'The thieves will never get past master's guard.' Ryou thought. 'They're all too big…' And with that last thought, Ryou drifted off to sleep.

***

Just out of sight of the town, Bakura waited on his brown mare, while more than fifty thieves waited on their mounts behind him. Bakura was watching the horizon intently as the sun set behind them.

"Any moment now," said a gravelly voice to his left. It was Kemnebi, Bakura's chief informant and right-hand man. He was almost a skeleton on his white stallion, his face obscured by multiple scars and bandages. He was watching the sky intently.

As if from nowhere, a brown dessert hawk swooped from the sky, landing on Kemnebi's shoulder. Kemnebi caught the scroll that fell into his hand and read quickly.

"We're clear." He said. Bakura turned to his men.

"Take them hard and fast. The guard has been increased, but they are only mother's sons. Do not kill unless you must. Bring the servants to me. The valuables, horses, and gold go to the courtyard. The one who brings me the head of the master will have his pick of the lot. Let's ride!"

As one, the horses and their riders charged over the desert.

***

Ryou woke to the sound of shouting voices and kicking hooves. The horse in the closest stall was pitching a fit.

"Hey there, calm down. What's all the…" Ryou stopped as he saw two strange men attempting to lead the horse. Many of the other horses were already gone.

"Well, look at this!" cackled the first man. "A little mouse was asleep in the stables. Who are you?"

Ryou's sleep-muddled mind finally woke. "R-r-r-ryou."

"And what are you doing here!?" shouted the second man.

"I-I-I'm the master's errand boy." Ryou stammered.

The second man laughed. "Well, how do you like that! He keeps his errand boy out in the stables. Why, if he had to send a message, he'd have to wake another servant just to summon you!" The first man laughed at this. "I'll bet he just does it out of spite. Why, we must have a real troublemaker on our hands!" He said.

The second man calmed down a little at this. "Then we'd best secure him. Master Bakura did say to bring the servants to him." The first man nodded, and in no time at all they had Ryou's hands tied.

"We'd best gag him, too, although he has been such a quiet thing."

Ryou stood paralyzed as the first man tilted his head up to fit a gag in his mouth. When the man got a look at his face he froze.

"Brother, look at this!" the first man said. Soon he and his brother were kneeling in front of Ryou, trying to get a look at his face. Ryou stood, trembling.

"It's impossible, Bakura has no heirs." The first brother whispered.

"Forget the horse, Bakura has to see this." The second brother said. "Let's go!"


	2. Clocks

**Chapter 2 (Coldplay - Clocks)**

Bakura stood in the main hall and looked at the trembling line of servants before him with a practiced eye. Although he had raided many rich houses before, it always amazed him how many servants the rich bastards needed. 'Are they completely incapable of doing anything for themselves? Where is the master of the house anyway?'

"Bakura! Guess what we found!" Came a loud, gloating voice.

"If it's not the master, then don't bother, Para!" Bakura scowled. 'We don't have much time before sunrise.'

Para hesitated a moment, then seemed to regain his cocky composure. "Even better, master Bakura. It's the owner's errand boy. We found him asleep in the stables."

'Maybe he'll know where his master went,' thought Bakura. "Bring him forward."

Ryou trembled as the brother Dox pushed him forward. He fell to his knees and kept his head down, tears slipping from behind closed eyelids. 'Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, don't hurt-' His inner prayer was cut short as Dox grabbed his hair and roughly yanked his face up. Ryou didn't dare open his eyes.

The thieves fell quiet as Bakura stood, staring at the slave before him. Bakura knelt on one knee and ran his fingers over Ryou's face, scrutinizing him carefully. The boy tensed, but did not back away. "Open your eyes." he commanded.

Ryou slowly opened his eyes. His heart stopped for a beat as his gaze focused on the thief king's face. His white hair fell in jagged points past his shoulders, accenting tanned skin that was marred by a single scar across his right eye. Even his eyes were striking, so brown that they were almost black and looking at him with such sharp intensity that Ryou shivered. In that instant Ryou was certain his prayers had been in vain; he was surely going to die.

'He's me.' thought Bakura. 'Holy Ra, he's me. How is this possible?' Bakura was transfixed, staring silently until a terrified squeak broke from the boy before him.

Bakura reached out and took the boy's arm, standing and pulling the boy to his feet. "What is your name?" he asked, removing the gag.

R-r-ryou"

"Do you know where your master is, Ryou?" Bakura asked, trying to keep his voice gentle. 'I have to take this slave with me.' he thought. 'He deserves better than this.'

Ryou tried to remember how to breathe. 'Why am I not dead yet?' Ryou took a few deep breaths and tried to remember how to speak. "I don't know, sir."

Bakura glanced at his thieves and the assembled slaves. All of the thieves were still staring in awe at this small, trembling version of their leader. Bakura summoned Para to him.

"You said this was his personal servant." Bakura demanded.

"That's what he told us, my lord." Para answered.

Bakura turned to the slaves. "Does anybody here know this boy's family?" he demanded. The slaves all shook their heads.

"Very well." said Bakura. "Para, take your brother and get the rest of the slaves out to the street. Tell them to scram, they're free." As the slaves left, Bakura turned back to Ryou, coaxing him to look back up.

"Do you have any idea where your former master might be?" he asked.

Ryou, now no longer certain he was going to die, tried to remember how to think. "He-he spent a lot of time in his study, sir. That's upstairs."

Bakura turned to his thieves. "Go to the second floor. Leave no room unchecked. Put anything valuable with the gold from the treasury. The first man to bring me his head gets his pick. Go now!"

When the thieves had departed, Bakura turned back towards Ryou. "This whole house has been taken over by my thieves. If I release you, will you run?"

"No, master." Ryou said. He flinched as Bakura pulled a knife from under his coat.

"Be still," Bakura commanded, "or I might cut you."

Ryou froze as Bakura moved behind him and cut the ropes from his wrists. 'What does he want from me?' he thought.

Bakura stepped back in front of Ryou, replacing the knife in his belt. When he spoke next, his tone was much lighter, friendly almost. "Well, Ryou, my men seem to think we look a lot alike. Do you have any family?"

'_I_ look like _him_!' Ryou thought. 'But he's so much bigger, and stronger. If I looked like him the master would have fled at the sight of me!' Ryou then remembered the thief king's question.

"No, I haven't any family, sir."

Bakura smiled. "Would you like to come with me?"

Ryou was taken aback by that smile. On such a face it looked almost frightening, but at the same time…. Ryou looked at the thief king again. 'He hasn't hurt me yet.' Ryou paused and looked down. 'I wonder…what have I got to lose?' He looked up again, reassured by the smile on Bakura's face.

"I'll go with you." Bakura's smiled widened.

"Very well. You'll be one of my personal servants from now on."

Bakura looked away as a cheering rose from somewhere upstairs. A moment later, a thief burst through the door, surrounded by shouting comrades and holding high the head of the former master of the house. Ryou looked away, frightened by the inhuman expression on its face.

Bakura congratulated the lucky thief. "Where did you find him?"

Cowering like the dog he was, master Bakura, in the room just above this." The thief was grinning from ear to ear.

Bakura took the head from him. "Everybody to the courtyard!"

The thieves crowding the doorway turned and ran back through the great front doors. Bakura grabbed Ryou's hand and Ryou found himself being swept along with the cheering mess. Bakura was striding quickly behind them, and Ryou had to run to keep up with him. When they reached to courtyard the crowd parted to allow Bakura through.

Bakura released Ryou when they reached the front of the crowd. "Watch." he said, grin still in place. He stepped forward.

Ryou's jaw dropped at the spectacle in the yard. Before him was enough treasure to ransom a king: gold, jewels, animal furs, dyed fabric, embroidered clothes, golden sandals, rugs, painted urns, intricate wooden statues, and large papyrus scrolls. Behind this were all the horses from the stables, including the missing Jibade, lined up and tied to stakes in the ground. Bakura was striding back and forth before all of this, looking at it with a calculating eye.

A quick whistle from Bakura's lips and his brown mare strode forward, coming to a stop before the heap of riches. Bakura reached into the pile and selected a few items: a bag of gold coins, a zebra's skin, several gold bracelets and earrings, a heavy gold neckband, a white robe, and two trinkets: a black stone figure of Bast and a gold and sapphire flowered comb. He held each item high before loading them on the horse.

"This is my claim from this raid!" Bakura shouted. "Is there anyone who challenges me?"

Silence.

Bakura turned to the thief who brought him the head. "As promised, your choice of the treasury." he stepped back and gestured to the riches behind him, looking on expectantly.

The man must have already made up his mind. He stepped forward and untied Jibade from his stake, then loaded the horse's saddlebags with gold. The thief bowed to Bakura, then led his horse through the crowd to stand at the edge of the courtyard.

Bakura nodded after him and picked up his mare's reigns, heading back through the crowd. He gestured for Ryou to follow him as he passed.

Once Bakura, Ryou, and the horse were safely behind the crowd, Bakura snapped his fingers. As one, the remaining thieves rushed forward, each eager to claim his own share in the raid.

***

Ryou watch quietly as Bakura adjusted his horse, loading the gold into the saddlebags and spreading the zebra's skin over the back of the saddle.

'Is this how a ruthless, evil, thief king is supposed to behave?' he wondered. Ryou remembered the smile on Bakura's face as he addressed his followers. 'He's powerful, and he has hundreds of thieves at his call, but he seems almost gentle.' Ryou closed his eyes in thought. 'What does he want with me?'

"Ryou."

Ryou looked up at Bakura's voice. The thief king was holding up the white sleeveless robe and gold neckband. "It reflects poorly on the lord to have his servants dress in rags like that. Come here."

'What was his former master thinking?' Bakura thought as Ryou approached. 'He looks half starved.'

Ryou trembled as Bakura pulled at his old rags. They were so worn that they fell apart at the seams in the thief king's hands, leaving Ryou in only his loincloth. "Turn around, let me see how your master treated you." Bakura said.

Ryou slowly rotated, stopping when he felt Bakura's hand on his back. Ryou didn't dare move as fingers ghosted over scars, both old and new. 'What is he thinking?'

Bakura's face gave nothing away. "I'll get you something for that when we get back to camp. You're in need of a bath, too, but this will do for now." Bakura pulled the soft, white robe over Ryou's shoulders, settling the gold neckband over that. He ran his fingers through Ryou's hair, trying to work out some of the tangles.

Ryou shuddered. The soft robe seemed to cling to his body like a second skin, and Bakura's fingers felt good in his hair. 'He doesn't seem so bad.'

Bakura finished and Ryou's eye's fluttered open. Ryou wondered when he closed them. His gaze fell on the head of his former master and he tensed. 'He may be gentle now, but he's still a thief and a killer. I must be careful.' Ryou started when something splashed onto the head. He looked up to see Bakura holding an upside down oil lamp.

"It's almost sunrise." Bakura said, tossing the oil lamp away. "Time to get moving." He picked up the head by its hair and mounted his horse. Then he held out his other hand to Ryou. "Get on behind me."

Ryou hesitated, but took Bakura's hand and let himself be pulled up on top of the zebra skin.

Bakura guided the horse back towards the thieves. All the riches had been divided up and loaded onto the horses. The last few thieves mounted their horses and faced Bakura.

Bakura held up the head to the cheers of the assembled thieves. Ryou grabbed the saddle for balance as the horse trotted along the house wall.

Bakura held the oiled head so that it passed over the torches lined along the wall. It caught fire quickly and Bakura threw it in the doorway.

"Hold on." Bakura said. Ryou threw his arms around Bakura's waist as the horse reared onto its hind legs and galloped away. The thieves fell in behind Bakura and they were off across the desert.


	3. Kiss From A Rose

**Chapter 3 (Seal – Kiss From A Rose)**

At first Ryou was terrified. Here he was, racing across the desert with no idea where he was going, clinging to the back of a homicidal thief. But as the town disappeared behind them and the horse settled into a manageable canter, Ryou relaxed. They had been riding for what felt like hours, and he had barely slept. He didn't notice that he had rested his head on the thief king's back until the scent of sweat and musk reached his nose.

Ryou's eyes shot open and he jerked back, even as he felt a laugh rumble through Bakura's body. "Tired, Ryou?" Bakura asked, looking over his shoulder.

Ryou nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment.

"Look ahead." Bakura said. Ryou leaned over and looked past the thief king. The horizon was broken by a jagged line of black. "That's camp. It's still a long way off, but we'll be there soon." Bakura straightened his stance and kicked his heels, urging the horse to go faster. The legion of thieves behind him followed suit and once again they were thundering across the desert.

The noise of the horses' hooves preceded them. As they got closer, the camp erupted into activity, people rushing from tent to tent, greeting the raiders like lost family, leading the horses to makeshift stalls, and sorting through the loot. Ryou was astounded at the sheer number of people.

'How does he command all these people?' Ryou felt his body tensing with fear again. 'This isn't a camp, this is a whole city!'

The horse moved calmly ahead until they reached a giant tent in the center of the noisy crowd. Bakura twisted around to help Ryou from the horse before he dismounted.

_"Master Bakuraaaaaaaaa!!!!"_ Ryou almost jumped out of his skin and tried to hide behind the horse. A tanned young man rushed from the huge tent and straight into Bakura's open arms. He was smaller than Bakura by several inches, with tanned skin and blond hair falling down to his shoulders. He wore a gold collar around his neck and kilt around his waist, held in place by a belt of shining gold. Around his ankles were several golden loops that jingled over his bare feet.

"You're finally back! What did you bring me?" Lavender eyes sparkled with mirth as the man broke from Bakura's embrace. Bakura smiled. Ryou shivered.

'He's insane! How could he be so familiar with the King of Thieves?' Ryou closed his eyes, not wanting to see the exuberant stranger punished.

"Now is that really polite?" a new voice asked. "You haven't even allowed him to introduce his companion."

Ryou opened his eyes to see a girl looking straight at him. Her eyes were a deep blue, almost black, accented by her dark skin and wavy black hair. She wore a sleeveless white dress, held at the waist with a belt of silver disks. Larger disks clipped onto the straps over her shoulders, holding a white cape in place. The cape fluttered and stopped behind her knees, while her dress continued and ended at her ankles, where shining silver sandals were tied.

Bakura grinned and beckoned Ryou forward. "Malik, Nebit, this is Ryou, the newest member of my "Miniature Harem." Please get him cleaned up, he's been through a lot tonight."

'_Miniature Harem!_' Ryou's inner voice screamed. 'He's going to make a sex slave out of me!?" His face paled and his knees grew weak as Nebit stepped forward and took his arm, practically dragging him towards another tent. Malik laughed and tagged along, sprinting backwards and waving goodbye to the thief king.

Ryou was in a daze as they entered the next tent. Malik dashed about, dragging up a large wooden tub and throwing buckets of water into it. Nebit knelt before him, quickly pulling off his robe and collar.

"Ryou. Ryou can you hear me?" her voice broke through his stupor. "W-what?" he asked.

"Why did you come with Master Bakura?" Nebit asked.

Ryou took a deep breath. "H-how did you know I came willingly?"

"Bakura does not take unwilling captives if he can help it." Nebit replied. "And certainly not if he wants you to be in his harem."

"Harem?" Ryou couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him.

Nebit laughed. "Don't worry, it's just a nickname. The 'Miniature Harem' is actually just Malik and I. Bakura took us in, and we…well…"

"What she means to say," Malik chimed in. "is that Bakura is one very sexy thief king and we just couldn't resist."

Ryou turned to look at Malik, startled. Malik gave a big grin and gestured for Ryou to climb into the tub. "I've been here for almost four years now. I was being sold as a slave in the market. Bakura happened to be passing and bought me." He began scrubbing soap into Ryou's hair. "To say I was suspicious would be an understatement. When he brought me new clothes to replace my rags I just about bit his hand off. But as time went by, and I got to know him a little better…" Malik gave a deep sigh as his voice drifted off, lost in his own memories.

Nebit stepped forward, spreading a mat in front of the tub and handing Ryou a pot of soap. She settled on the map and started wiping the dust from Ryou's new collar. "Malik was already settled in with Bakura by the time I arrived. They are often very loud at unreasonable hours at night."

Ryou looked at her, trying to let it all sink in. "How long have you been here?"

"Almost two years, I think. I was on the streets before Bakura came along." Ryou's mouth opened. "You don't want to know." Ryou's mouth snapped shut. "Let's just say that I had some marks even worse than yours. Anyway, Malik's constant praise of Bakura made it easier for me to warm up to him. He was quite surprised when I made my first advances."

"You mean Bakura-" Ryou started.

"Likes men and women?" Malik finished. "Yes, is it that strange?"

Ryou shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. Bakura didn't make the first move?"

Nebit clapped a hand over her mouth, reducing her laugh to a suppressed giggle. "Are you kidding?" Malik asked. "I almost had to tie Bakura down before he would listen to me. Seemed to think he was 'taking advantage of my fragile state' or something. Nebit was smarter than me though. She just got him really drunk."

Nebit finally lowered her hand. "The thief king was extremely amusing the next morning."

Ryou slowly looked from Nebit to Malik and back again. 'Bakura may be the thief king,' he thought. 'but I think I just met the prince and princess of thieves.'


	4. Simple and Clean

**Chapter 4 (Kingdom Hearts – Simple and Clean)**

With Malik and Nebit leading the way, Ryou, fully dressed and finally clean, made his way to Bakura's tent. On the outside it was the same sandy color as the other tents, but inside it was a riot of colorful drapes, animal furs, and huge pillows. Thieves were scattered around the huge tent, talking and laughing. Occasionally there was a glint as money changed hands. Opposite the entrance, on a huge chair made of dark wood, Bakura presided over the room.

With the same level of enthusiasm that Ryou was beginning to expect, Malik dashed through the room and straight into Bakura's lap. Nebit followed, swiftly but more sedately, gesturing for Ryou to follow.

Ryou watched as Nebit approached Bakura's chair and leaned against his shoulder. 'I don't think he'll hurt me,' Ryou thought. 'But I don't think I'll ever be that brave.' He stopped a safe distance from the throne and bowed his head, trying to look grateful and submissive.

Bakura gently kissed Malik and then Nebit on the lips. "Thank you for taking care of him," he said. His gaze shifted to Ryou. 'How could I have ever thought that he looked like me?' he thought. 'He looks so innocent, so…sweet.'

"Come closer, Ryou," he said.

Ryou hesitated and shifted closer.

"Come on Ryou," said Nebit. "He doesn't bite."

Malik turned and gave a cheeky grin. "No, he only nibbles occasionally."

This comment drew laughter from several surrounding thieves. Ryou stepped forward until he was just out of Bakura's reach.

'He…he asked for me,' Ryou thought. 'He isn't going to hurt me. He…' Ryou glanced up to catch Bakura's hopeful eyes and slightly edged smile. Ryou flinched and took a step back. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I-I can't."

Slowly Bakura's smile faded. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Nebit leaned forward and murmured in his ear. "He's just a little shy. Give him some time. Remember how long it took for Malik to come around?"

Malik scoffed and hopped up onto the arm of Bakura's throne. Both Bakura and Nebit gave him a Look.

"Fine, fine, I give up." Malik rolled his eyes and grinned. "You're right. So cheer up. What did you bring us?"

Bakura's smile returned. "My saddlebag's over there," he said, gesturing to the dusty bag on top of the folded zebra skin by the tent wall.

Malik jumped off the arm of the chair and scampered to the bag. He gave a little squeak of delight as he drew the black statue and gold comb from the bag. Dashing back he handed the comb to Nebit and squirmed right back into Bakura's lap.

"You know us too well," said Nebit. She admired the sapphires on the comb before settling it into her hair. "Thank you."

Bakura waved his hand dismissively and turned to Ryou. "I don't know what you would like, but I do know what you need. Nebit, could you ask around and see if we have anything nice to fit Ryou? Something like what Malik wears, only with a shirt. Malik, there should be some more gold jewelry in my bag, could you bring me those?"

Nebit and Malik took off, leaving Ryou alone with his new master and a voice that just would not work. 'All of this, for me?' he thought, staring with wide eyes.

"I realize it's not much," said Bakura. "But once Nebit gets your measurements I can find something more appropriate. Perhaps it's time to make a trip to the city."

Ryou found his voice. "M-master, I-"

The Thief King held up his hand. "Call me Bakura, everybody else does. I am no one's master. You said you wanted to come with me, didn't you?"

Ryou blushed. "Yes, Bakura, I wanted to come. But this is too much, more than I have ever-" Once again Bakura stopped his babbling.

"It's nothing Ryou. I look after those under my care. All you have to do is say 'thank you.'"

"T-thank you," Ryou said, eyes teary with emotion.

"Perhaps now…" Bakura's voice drifted off and he turned away. 'Maybe he'll come to me now,' he thought. 'No, that's forcing him. He would come, but out of guilt. He would still be afraid of me. But is it really that much to ask?'

'What is he thinking?' Ryou asked himself. 'He looks so worried. Is he worried about me? I don't want him to be, he's been so kind.' Ryou's eyes widened as a realization struck him. 'He really won't hurt me, will he?' Slowly, silently, he began to step forward.

Bakura was startled out of his internal debate by the touch of a hand over his. He looked up to see Ryou standing by the chair, a gentle smile on his lips. Ryou glanced up with shy eyes. "Thank you."

This time, Bakura's edged smile didn't frighten him at all.

***

Ryou could barely stand as Nebit and Malik led him back to their tent. All the thieves had been in high spirits, telling stories of the raid and sharing the contents of the merchant's wine cellar. Malik and Nebit had listened avidly to the stories, mingling among the thieves like an extended family. Ryou had stopped listening after one thief grandly declared that he took down all 50 of the merchant's highly trained personal guards by himself.

'The merchant didn't have 50 personal guards,' Ryou had thought. 'He had two big fat nephews who hung around at mealtimes and yelled at the servants. That's all.'

By the time Bakura had dismissed everyone to their own tents, Ryou was dead on his feet. He had slept for a few hours the night before, been unceremoniously uprooted from everything he knew, braved a deadly Thief King, mingled in a thieves party, and now the sun was setting again. He could only stand there as Malik and Nebit put away the washtub and took out some thickly padded sleeping mats. A soft kilt was thrown his way.

"That will do for sleeping until you get more clothes," Malik said. He was changing into a similar kilt and Nebit was already dressed and dragging out blankets from somewhere.

Ryou was too tired to be shy. 'Besides,' he thought, 'they've already seen me naked.' That was when he noticed the unusual arrangement of the sleeping mats. Four mats had been pushed together to make one large bed, and Nebit was lying across them sideways. "Where should I sleep?" he asked.

"With us," said Malik, yawning. "Its warmer this way and the bed's more than big enough." He settled down close to Nebit as if it was the most natural thing in the world and the two drifted off to sleep.

Ryou hesitated. After a few moments he moved to the opposite side of the bed and settled in, as close to the edge as possible. He shivered; the desert got much colder at night, and slowly fell asleep.

***

Bakura's sandals scraped through the sand as he left the big tent. The mighty Thief King couldn't appear exhausted after a simple raid, but he was sure that every thief in the camp would sleep heavily tonight. They were all glad to be home after two weeks spent so close to a town. Before heading to his own, much smaller, personal tent, Bakura made a detour to check on his miniature harem.

'I hope Ryou will be happy here,' he thought. 'An innocent version of me, who would ever have guessed?' That strange, edged smile spread across his face again.

Taking care not to make a sound, Bakura parted the tent flap and looked inside. The thin shaft of moonlight that made it inside showed him his three darlings, curled up tightly together against the cold. Bakura let the tent flutter closed and turned away, smile now firmly in place.


	5. Must Be Dreaming

**Chapter 5 (Frou Frou – Must Be Dreaming)**

The sun had just inched over the horizon, sending a shaft of glittering light through the tent. Ryou shifted, but didn't dare open his eyes.

'This pillow is so soft and warm,' he thought. 'I don't want to wake up yet. The master will be mad at me for oversleeping.' He spent a few moments in blissful drowsiness before realization took hold.

'This pillow is breathing!' Ryou shot up so quickly his head spun. The room blurred around him. Beside him, Malik rolled over and opened his eyes.

"Good morning," he murmured.

The world came into focus, and with it yesterday's happenings. Ryou let out a sigh of relief and turned to Malik.

"Sorry," he said.

"Sorry?" Malik said, shaking Nebit. "Why are you sorry?"

"For using you as a pillow," Ryou blushed.

Malik laughed and stood up. "Don't worry about it. I'll be a pillow anytime."

Once the sleeping mats were up Malik threw some more water into the tub and kneeled over the side, throwing water over himself and rinsing out his hair. He gestured for Ryou to do the same and Nebit kneeled across from him. Once everyone was clean Nebit threw some clothes in Ryou's direction.

"They may be a little big, but I think they'll work until we get to the city," she said.

The clothes turned out to be an old kilt of Malik's and a tunic with the sleeves cut off. Nebit also threw a bag at him which clattered when he caught it.

Ryou opened the bag and then dropped it. Inside was a tangled mess of solid gold bands. Malik laughed and came over.

"Didn't Bakura tell you he would take care of you?" he said. "I guess he fancies you in gold. Here, let me help."

Ryou stood in stunned obedience as Malik attached gold bands around his wrists, arms, ankles, and neck. When he was done Malik let out a low whistle.

"Bakura has good taste," Nebit said. She handed Ryou a mirror.

Ryou's eyes widened at his reflection. "Is that me?"

Two days ago he had been half starved, draped in rags, freezing, and filthy. Today he was dressed in clean linen and gold, warm, and clean. He could barely believe it. Although he was a bit hungry….

"Um, when is breakfast?" he asked.

Malik laughed. "Just as soon as Nebit wakes up the cook and gets him to fix something. It's barely daybreak yet."

"Well, I'm hungry too," Nebit said. "I'll go find the cook. Malik, you take Ryou and fix up the main tent." Still smiling, she left the tent, Malik and Ryou following.

Ryou's arm flew up, guarding his eyes as they adjusted to the light. When he could see again, Ryou felt his jaw drop.

"It's like gold. We're standing on golden sand." Closer to the Nile the sand was worn, muddy from the water and the traffic of so many feet. It might pass for copper on a good day. Here the sand was pure.

Malik laughed. "Come on, you can admire the sunrise later. We have work to do."

Cleaning out a tent, even such a big one, turned out to be a lot easier than cleaning the late merchant's house. Ryou and Malik dragged piles of animal skins and cushions outside to the clothesline, strung them up, and beat the sand out of them. Then they rolled them up and piled them up on a large sheet in the corner of the tent. Since the floor was sand there was no need to scrub it, they just dug out any sand that was suspiciously wet or smelly and brought in clean sand to replace it. And through the whole operation, Malik never stopped talking.

"You've heard what I was like when I first came here," he explained. "but as I became more comfortable with Bakura and the rest of the thieves I felt like I should be doing something to earn my keep. This was before I started sleeping with Bakura." Malik glanced over to make sure Ryou was listening. "Bakura still thought I needed time to recover, but eventually he told me that I could "Make myself useful." So with these vague orders I started looking around for things that needed doing." He paused, laughing at his own thoughts. "Thieves, by themselves, aren't very clean. This is just one of the things I found to do to keep busy. Nebit found even more things when she arrived."

"So why didn't you stop when you started, um, entertaining Bakura?" Ryou asked.

"You mean having sex with him?" Malik asked. Ryou blushed, but nodded. "I started sleeping with Bakura because I wanted to. It's not work. Besides, Bakura never called me more than two or three times a week. At most that's three hours a night-"

_"Three hours!"_ Ryou spun around.

"Mmmmm…occasionally." Malik closed his eyes and ran a hand over his chest.

Ryou watched this display, barely knowing what to think. 'Maybe being part of this "Miniature Harem" won't be so bad. Although I'm not sure if I'm ready for…."

"Breakfast!" Nebit called from outside the tent. Malik snapped back to reality and dashed out, Ryou following behind.

Nebit had pulled a sheet into the sunlight and spread it over the sand. The sun had finally separated from the horizon and the sand was glittering brighter than the bands of gold wrapped around Ryou's arms. Ryou had never seen a more beautiful sight, but for now Ryou had only one thought in his head.

'Breakfast!'

In a few minutes the first feeding frenzy had passed and Ryou, Malik, and Nebit had settled back to enjoy the sun. Nebit was pointing out surrounding tents, explaining what each one was for and who inhabited them. Ryou was doing his best to remember, but it was a lot of information to take in.

"Of course, this is just the arrangement for now. Every so often we pack up camp and move, just to make sure the camp stays secret." Ryou groaned and fell back onto the sheet. Nebit laughed.

"You'll get used to it. Don't worry."

"Good morning! Sleep well?"

Ryou shot up at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. Bakura, dressed in the same kilt and open red coat as last night, joined them at their sheet. Malik wasted no time in shifting around so that his head was in Bakura's lap.

"Ryou used Malik as a pillow," Nebit said.

"Hey!" Ryou protested. Bakura laughed and Ryou's blush deepened. "He said it was fine…."

"I'm glad you're settling in," Bakura said, running his hand through Malik's hair. Malik arched his back and leaned into the touch. Ryou was sure that if he was a cat he'd be purring.

'Bakura did give him a cat statue,' Ryou thought, grinning.

"Since you seem to have settled in so well," Bakura said. "I don't feel so bad about unsettling you again."

Malik's eyes opened. "What did you have in mind?"

"I did say we needed to make a trip to the city-" Bakura had barely finished speaking before Malik's arms were around his neck.

"So soon after the raid? Are you sure?" Nebit asked apprehensively. Even Ryou could see the hope in her eyes.

Bakura wrapped his arms around Malik's waist and settled him onto his lap. "We'll take our time on this trip; any of the raiders who wish to go will be fine. My only concern is you, Ryou."

Ryou's breath caught when Bakura's eyes met his. "I've…never been to the city before." Nebit reached over and took his hand. Ryou found himself smiling. "It should be fun."

"Yes!" Malik cheered. He pulled Bakura into a brief but intense kiss.

Ryou was taken aback when Nebit pulled him into a hug, murmuring "Thank you" against his ear.

'They wouldn't have gone without me,' Ryou realized. 'If I had said I wasn't ready, everybody would have waited.' Ryou's eyes closed as he returned the embrace. 'First I'm taken by a powerful, strong, thoughtful, patient, sexy thief king to become part of his miniature harem. This harem contains my new friends, a reserved, mysterious, young woman and an energetic, blond bombshell. Somewhere I find the courage to approach this alluring thief king and he gives me a whole new wardrobe and a whole new life. I then attend a party and use the bombshell as a pillow. Now I get to take the trip of a lifetime to the city with a caravan of thieves, where the king of thieves plans to buy me clothes of my own, made for me!' Ryou sighed happily. 'I've never been so….' Happy didn't seem to cover it, so Ryou settled for squeezing Nebit harder.

"It's settled then," Bakura said. "We leave tomorrow morning!"


End file.
